Machine for cutting cards.



D. E. HUNTER.

MACHINE FR CUTTING CARDS.

(Application led Feb. HL 1900) No. 672,526. Patented Apr. 23, |9DI.

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No. 672,526. Patented Apr. 23, |90l.Y

D. E. HUNTER.

MACHINE FDR CUTTING CARDS.

lAppliotion iled Feb. 19. l900.)

UNITED STATES DAVID E.\HUNTER,`O F CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LIBRARY BUREAU, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

lVIACHINE FOR CUTTING CARDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,526, dated April 23, 1901.

' Application filed February 19, 1900. Serial No. 5,669. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID E. HUNTER, a citizen of the United States, residing atCambridge, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Machines for CuttingCards, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representin gli ke parts.

My present invention is a device for cutting `cards or paper, and is particularly intended for cutting ,tab ends or special shapes, such as are required in modern card-indexes or card-records.

In the class of devices referred to it is absolutely necessary that the cards shall be precisely alike, modern requirements making it necessary that accuracy shall not be approximated merely, but shall be actually attained, and accordingly the old paper-cutters and shearing devices, in which a knife is caused to rise and fall in vertical guides,like a guillotine, or with a partially-sliding cut, like shears, will not answer, as these old forms of devices are more or less liable to shift the stock being cut, and, moreover, theyrequire constant attention and adjustment, which if not attended to persistently results in more or less inaccuracy. Accordingly I have devised a cutter which proceeds on entirely different lines from those mentioned, my cutter being rotary and bringing the knife or cutting edge over with a rocking movement, so that when it strikes the paper it nips it off with somewhat the same movement as the teeth of a human being nip or bite through an article, excepting that my cutting edges do not meet within 4 the article, but just escape each other.

In the particular embodiment of my invention which I prefer and have herein shown I have reduced the mechanism to the greatest simplicity, so that the wear of the parts is capable of quick and accurate adjustment without necessitating repeated measurements and trials to see if it is correct.

Further details andan entire description ofI speciication, reference being had to the ac` companying drawings, in which I have shown said preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings, Figure lis a top plan view, partly broken away and in section, of a cardcutter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical `transverse section thereof.` Fig. 3 shows the same in rear elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the movable cutting-knife. Fig. 5 is an end elevation. Fig. 6 is a broken plan view of the retaining or clamping bar in its preferred form. Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-section of the cutting-blade and its mounting.

It will be understood that the base A of the machine may be of any size, shape, and construction adapted to the particular purpose for which the machine is intended, being herein shown as comprising a horizontal table a, having an inner vertical side a to receive the stationary cutting-blade and provided on its upper side with an adjustable straight-edge or guide a2 for directing the cards, and a rear support as, on which the moving parts of the machine are mounted, the clippings or shavings falling down in an open space a4 between the parts ct a3.

At the rear side of the machine in suitable ears or lugs a5 I mount my special cutter-bar b, said bar having its center of movement at b and being shown in cross-section in Fig. '7, from which it will be seen that its peripheral surface is on an eccentric curve, this shape being extremely strong and practical `for the purpose intended. At its opposite ends the cutter-bar has conical bearings b2, (see Fig. 1,) which rotate freely in a journalbox b5, clamped between the ears a5 and proporly-recessed plates a6, secured by bolts of as, end bearing-bolts a9 being provided in the ends of the journal-blocks b3 to prevent any possibility of longitudinal movement or wedging action of the cutter-bar b. By means of this bearing it will be seen that any wear of the parts may be taken up instantly and with absolute accuracy. No wear can come between the clamping-plate a6 and the coperating ear a5, for the reason that the journalblock b3 does not move therein, but is simply clamped xedly in position. If any adjustment is necessary because of the wear of the conical bearing b2 in its j ournal-block, all that IOO is necessary is simply to'loosen the bolt asY slightly, so'as to shift the block b3 enough to take up said wear, and then again clamp the block b3 in place. l'This adjustment cannot possibly affect the alinement of the cutting edges in the slightest, because the wear is taken up in absolute parallelism to the said cutting edges. Also this construction permitsof ready renewal of parts when worn out.

vThe cutter-bar has a substantially radial shoulder` b4 slightly out o f line with the center, against which thevmovable cutting-blade 55 rests, the lower edge of said blade being gated longitudinally, as shown in'Fig. 4, and

held in place by a clamping-bar 198 and bolts b9, passing through vand being preferably adljustalole.transversely in the 'cutterbarv and threaded into the clampingbar. The latter Vis-preferably of special construction as shown i. in Figs; 6 and 7, and comprises a rear part 510 or clamping part proper and a front part 1912, which serves to guide or stopthe cards,

said two parts being! held 'together by bolts B12 countersunk iiush into the front edge or .face of the part Z912 and fixed in the part Z710,

the forward part being held against the heads of said bolts by suitable springs Z914 for permitting accurate adjustment simply by tightl The front ening or loosening' the bolts b1?. edgeb15 of the stop part 191.2 is curved concen j trically on the center of movement b'.

Referring now to the stationary blade ,0, it'

will be seen that it occupies a cut-away part or recess c', being clamped in fixed position by a plate c2 and bolt c3, said plate being preferably lcut away at c4, so that it bears against the side a of the base at its upper and lower edges only, thereby permitting of beingsprung slightly, so as to tenaciously ,grip the blade c.

A bar d is secured at its ends to the ima;

chine, spanning over the cutter-bar, andthas fastened to it adownwardly-curved guide and protector d', said guide being adapted torest on the tops of the cards as they are pushed against the stop Z912 te be cut and also serving to prevent any injury to the operators fingers.

I have herein shown the machine as operated by hand, a handle or lever c being pivoted on the base a3 at e and having a jaw e2 at its inner end in loose engagement with a stud e3 at the end of a rocker-arm c4 on the rear side of the cutter-bar; but it will be understood that my machine may be operated by power if desired.

The cutter-blade, as herein shown, has an irregular cutting edge, including an offset Z916, which with the blade may be shifted by the slot construction 67 for forming a tab or indexing projection at the top of a card, and it will be understood that it may have any other form orthat it may be straight.

In, use the` loperator slides the ,cards beneath the guide b' and against -the stop'b12,

whereuponthe lever e is depressed, bringing the cutting edges of the blades b5 c into nipping engagement with the card and the latter is bit off instantly and accurately, this biting -being done not by a vertical up-and-down movement, aslheretofore, but by a swinging vmovement on the pivots b2 as a center, and

I have found that with this movement the cutting is'rnuch more accurate and is entirely without Vany tendency to shift the card out of position. By this means the cards are out with perfect smoothness, evenness, and extutions in form, combination, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and accordingly do not limit my- ,'fselfto the embodiment thereof otherwise than as expressed in the following claims,

certain of which I intend to be substantially pioneer or of great breadth.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. 4In a machine for cutting cards, al base,4

and a cutter-bar pivoted at its ends on said base, said bar having its peripheral surface extending in an eccentric curve about the pivotal axis, the two ends of said eccentric surface being integrally joined by a substantially radial shoulder, a cutting-blade secured to said shoulder, and clamping-bolts for securing said blade, said blade having longitudinally-elongated slots for the bolts and the latter extending through the cutter-bar perpendicularly to the shoulder and being transversely adjustable relatively to the cutter-bar.

IOO

IIO

2. In a machine for cutting cards, a base,

and a cutter-bar pivoted at its ends on said base, said bar having its peripheral surface extending in an eccentric curve about the pivotal axis, the two ends of said eccentric surface being integrally joined by a substantially radial shoulder, a cutting-blade secured to said shoulder and clamping-bolts for securing said blade, said blade having longitudinally-elongated slots for the bolts and the latter extending through the cutter-bar perpendicularly to the shoulder and being transversely adjustable relatively to the cutter'- bar, and adj usting-screws extending through and to the rear of the bal`- substantially diametrically and bearing against the rear edge `of the cutting-blade.

3. In a machine for cutting cards, a'pivoted cutter-bar having an overhanging, substantially radial shoulder, a cutting-blade adja- `cent said shoulder, a clamping-bar beneath i Said blade for clamping the latter against said shoulder, and means for tightening said bar in clamping position, said clamping-bar consisting of two parts, the inner part receiving l ,i said tightening means, and the forward part `f being yieldingly mounted thereon.

4. In a machine for cutting cards having a `rotary knife, a shield secured above said knife and curved downwardly in front of the knife,

t said shield hanging out away from the knife l excepting at its lower edge Where it bends inwardly toward the knife and extends close to the work so as to rest on the cards as they are pushed in toward the knife.

5. In a machine for cutting cards, a cutterbar pivoted in fixed supports, said cutter-bar having at its front side a cutting-blade, and provided at its rear side with a rigid radial arm, and a stud extending longitudinally of the bar, and a lever pivoted transversely of said pivoted cutting-bar and connected to said stud for rocking said cutter-bar.

6. In a machine for cutting cards, a pivoted cutter-bar, a cutting-blade mounted therein, an L-shaped stationary blade having a cutting edge at the rear projecting part of the 

